Curriculum

Use of a Design Canvas in a Robotics Workshop and Analysis of its Efficacy

Author/Presenter

Abhidipta Mallik

Sheila Borges Rajguru

Vikram Kapila

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2019
Short Description

This paper describes how the design canvas of Kline et al. was adopted and implemented in our workshop and investigates its benefits.

Analyzing Successful Teaching Practices in Middle School Science and Math Classrooms when using Robotics

A robotics-based curriculum offers numerous opportunities to enrich science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for students and enables teachers to integrate engineering and computing techniques into educational programs.

Author/Presenter

Veena Jayasree Krishnan

Sheila Borges Rajguru

Vikram Kapila

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2019
Short Description

This paper analyzes teaching practices that successfully integrate robotics in middle school science and math classrooms.

Designing NGSS-Aligned Lesson Plans During a Teacher Professional Development Program

Rapid technological advances are dominating the evolution of world’s economy and increasingly influencing our daily lives. Even as such advances have greatly improved human living condition, a majority of people either lack the understanding of technology or frequently ignore it. While post-secondary science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education seeks to remedy this disconnect, its reach is limited because formal education ends for many students at the secondary level.

Author/Presenter

Sai Prasanth Krishnamoorthy

Sheila Borges Rajguru

Vikram Kapila

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2019
Short Description

This paper describes a program to engage teachers to learn about mechatronics, robotics, and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) through hands-on activities and collaborative research.

Middle School Teacher Professional Development in Creating a NGSS-plus-5E Robotics Curriculum

The persistent lack of diversity in STEM fields remains a serious challenge for U.S. global competitiveness. STEM jobs are growing 29% faster than any other U.S. sector. Yet, today, white men hold roughly 75% of all scientists and engineering jobs, despite making up only 26% of the total workforce. The cause of this diversity gap can be traced to our educational system, where girls and most children-of-color do not receive equitable public education due to high teacher attrition rates, which in turn affects access to well-trained teachers, and lack of school resources.

Author/Presenter

Shramana Ghosh

Veena Jayasree Krishnan

Sheila Borges Rajguru

Vikram Kapila

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2019
Short Description

This paper will describe the process and result of developing a LEGO robotics, NGSS, and 5E aligned middle school curriculum during a three-week summer PD program for teachers who teach urban students-of-color.

Investigating Classroom-related Factors that Influence Student Perceptions of LEGO Robots as Educational Tools in Middle Schools

This paper investigates classroom-related factors such as pedagogical strategies and management of robotics-based educational content that contribute to the formation of student perceptions in robotics-enhanced classes. Robots are becoming increasingly ubiquitous in K-12 classroom in the United States and are used to improve student engagement, interactive learning, innovative thinking, collaboration, problem-solving skills, language learning, and achievement scores.

Author/Presenter

Shramana Ghosh

Sheila Borges Rajguru

Vikram Kapila

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2019
Short Description

This paper investigates classroom-related factors such as pedagogical strategies and management of robotics-based educational content that contribute to the formation of student perceptions in robotics-enhanced classes.

Revealing Teacher Knowledge through Making: A Case Study of Two Prospective Mathematics Teachers

We describe an experience within mathematics teacher preparation that engages pre-service teachers of mathematics (PMTs) in Making and design practices that we hypothesized would inform their conceptual, curricular, and pedagogical thinking. With a focus on the design of new tools that can generate new possibilities for mathematics teaching and learning, this Learning by Design experience has PMTs exploring at the intersection of content, pedagogy, and Making.

Author/Presenter

Steven Greenstein

Eileen Fernández

Jessica Davidson

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2019
Short Description

We describe an experience within mathematics teacher preparation that engages pre-service teachers of mathematics (PMTs) in Making and design practices that we hypothesized would inform their conceptual, curricular, and pedagogical thinking.

Families’ Capacity to Engage in Science Inquiry at Home Through Structured Activities

The role that caregivers can play in their child’s science education is often overlooked within science education research. Few studies have focused on the capacity and abilities of caregivers to guide science activities. The purpose of this study was to describe how families utilize science activity packs at home. Data indicate that the adults encouraged their children to observe, predict, compare and contrast, draw conclusions, and articulate explanations (inquiry behaviors). Families were also observed utilizing provided questions and talk moves (techniques to encourage conversation).

Author/Presenter

Lacey Strickler-Eppard

Charlene M. Czerniak

Joan Kaderavek

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2019
Short Description

The purpose of this study was to describe how families utilize science activity packs at home.

Urban Ecology Curriculum for English Learners Module 2 : Patterns of Urban Land Use (2nd Edition)

The Urban Ecology Curriculum for English Learners is an interdisciplinary, standards-based, upper elementary/middle school curriculum designed to bolster English language and literacy learning for Long Term English Learners (LTELs)1, or students “at risk” of becoming LTELs by providing access to rigorous, STEM content. The curriculum emphasizes locally-relevant field studies focused on engaging students in scientific study through the “four ways of knowing science”: understanding science, talking science, doing science, and acting on science.

Author/Presenter

The Urban Ecology Curriculum Team

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2017
Short Description

The Urban Ecology Curriculum for English Learners is an interdisciplinary, standards-based, upper elementary/middle school curriculum designed to bolster English language and literacy learning for Long Term English Learners (LTELs)1, or students “at risk” of becoming LTELs by providing access to rigorous, STEM content. Module 2 explores patterns in urban land use.

Urban Ecology Curriculum for English Learners Module 1: Introduction to Urban Ecology (2nd Ed.)

The Urban Ecology Curriculum for English Learners is an interdisciplinary, standards-based, upper elementary/middle school curriculum designed to bolster English language and literacy learning for Long Term English Learners (LTELs)1, or students “at risk” of becoming LTELs, by providing access to rigorous, STEM content. The curriculum emphasizes locally-relevant field studies focused on engaging students in scientific study through the “four ways of knowing science”: understanding science, talking science, doing science, and acting on science.

Author/Presenter

The Urban Ecology Curriculum Team

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2016
Short Description

The Urban Ecology Curriculum for English Learners is an interdisciplinary, standards-based, upper elementary/middle school curriculum designed to bolster English language and literacy learning for Long Term English Learners (LTELs)1, or students “at risk” of becoming LTELs, by providing access to rigorous, STEM content. Module 1 provides foundational knowledge and experiences for students, as well as a through description of urban ecology as a science.

From the Inside Out: Teacher Responses to the AP Curriculum Redesign

From 2012–2015, Advanced Placement (AP) science courses underwent a large-scale curricular reform to include more scientific inquiry and reasoning, reduce emphasis on broad content coverage, and focus on depth of understanding, with corresponding changes in high-stakes AP examinations. In this study, we explored how teachers prepared for and adapted to this reform over a three-year period. Data included four waves of individual interviews with 22 AP Biology and Chemistry teachers across the United States. Data were qualitatively analyzed using emic and etic coding.

Author/Presenter

Ayana McCoy

Abigail Jurist Levy

Kim Frumin

Frances Lawrenz

Christopher Dede

Arthur Eisenkraft

Christian Fischer

Barry Fishman

Brandon Foster

Year
2019
Short Description

From 2012–2015, Advanced Placement (AP) science courses underwent a large-scale curricular reform to include more scientific inquiry and reasoning, reduce emphasis on broad content coverage, and focus on depth of understanding, with corresponding changes in high-stakes AP examinations. In this study, authors explore how teachers prepared for and adapted to this reform over a three-year period.